SHOW OF DISPLEASURE

Guwahati, March 8: The BJP's state election committee today finalised a panel of the party's probable candidates for each Assembly constituency in Assam that will go to polls in the first phase on April 4.

A party source said the 18-member state election committee met at Greenwood Resort here this morning and shortlisted the names of two to three ticket aspirants in each panel prepared for 50 Assembly constituencies where the party will put up candidates in the first phase of elections.

Polling will be held in 65 Assembly seats in Upper Assam, the twin hill districts, Barak Valley and certain parts of central Assam on April 4. Of these seats, the BJP will cede eight to its ally AGP and six to its other partner, the BPF.

Altogether 61 constituencies in lower and central Assam will go to polls in the second phase on April 11.

Apart from the members of the state election committee, BJP national general secretary (Assam election in-charge) Ram Madhav, the party's Assam prabhari (minder) Mahendra Singh and general secretary (organisation) for the Northeast, Ajay Jamwal, were also present at the meeting.

The source said a delegation of the state election committee, led by its chairman and the party's state unit president Sarbananda Sonowal, flew to New Delhi this evening to submit the list to the party's national president, Amit Shah. "This list will be discussed by the party's central parliamentary board, which will select the party's candidates for the first phase. The final list will be released before March 13," he added.

Besides Sonowal, the state election committee comprises the other six Lok Sabha MPs of the party from the state and state BJP leaders Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rajdeep Roy, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Bhabesh Kalita, Parimal Suklabaidya and Syed Muminul Aowal.

Of the 18 members of the election committee, three are invitee members - BJP sitting MLA from Kamalpur Jadav Deka, president of Mahila Morcha Assam Dhira Talukdar and BJP state unit general secretary (organisation) Phanindra Nath Sarma.

Deka was not present in the meeting, leading to speculation that he skipped it because he was aggrieved at the party's decision to cede Kamalpur to the AGP.

When contacted, Deka denied the speculation and said he could not attend the meeting as he was in New Delhi today for some personal work.

"I will abide by the party's decision and under no circumstances am I going to resign from the party," Deka told The Telegraph over phone.

Deka's supporters, however, had protested in front of the BJP's election office at Ulubari here on Saturday against ceding Kamalpur seat to the AGP.